FTW88DPA01
1987-12-04 · DALLAS, Texas, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed
Airport ADS
N206DW has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (CESSNA T206H, built 1999), which was not involved in this event.
Aircraft involved
Factual narrative
THE FUEL PUMP WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND THE PILOT HEADED FOR A LOCAL AIRPORT. ENROUTE, THE ENGINE SURGED AND FLAMED OUT. DURING THE LANDING, THE ROTOR BLADES HIT TREES, AND THE HELICOPTER MADE A HARD LANDING. THE FUEL GAGE INDICATED 11 GALLONS. LATER THE GAGE INDICATED 14 GALLONS, BUT FIVE GALLONS TOTAL WERE DRAINED FROM THE TANK. WITH THE TANK EMPTY, THE GAGE INDICATED 8 GALLONS. THERE WAS NO FUEL IN THE AIRFRAME FILTER. AFTER THE FUEL BOOST PUMP WAS TURNED ON, THERE WAS FUEL IN THE HP FILTER. PILOT STATED IN REPORT, 'DUE TO THE FAULTY FUEL BOOST PUMP AND INACCURATE FUEL GAGE READING, AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO FUEL STARVATION'. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1987_FTW88DPA01.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (fuel starvation, engine failure). All research papers
- arXiv 2022 · arXiv preprint Multi-level Adaptation for Automatic Landing with Engine Failure under Turbulent Weather
This paper addresses efficient feasibility evaluation of possible emergency landing sites, online navigation, and path following for automatic landing under engine-out failure subject to turbulent wea…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper Simulation of Liquid Rocket Engine Failure Propagation Using Self-Evolving Scenarios
Traditional probabilistic risk assessment approaches often require failure scenarios to be explicitly defined through event sequences that are then quantified as part of the integrated analysis.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper Rocket engine failure detection using system identification techiques
The theoretical foundation and application of two univariate failure detection algorithms to Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) test firing data is presented.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper Rocket engine failure detection using system identification techniques
The theoretical foundation and application of two univariate failure detection algorithms to Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) test firing data is presented.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM) A simulator investigation of engine failure compensation for powered-lift STOL aircraft
A piloted simulator investigation of various engine failure compensation concepts for powered-lift STOL aircraft was carried out at the Ames Research Center.
- Semantic Scholar 2019 · Article (AIAA Scitech 2019 Forum) Impact of Engine Failure Constraints on the Initial Sizing of Hybrid-Electric GA Aircraft
Potential advantages of hybrid-electric aircraft are fuel savings, lower emissions, and reduced noise. Since these aircraft generally apply multiple power sources, they can also be designed to sustain…